Life-preserver.



G. KRIEGER.

LIFE PRESERVER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.18, 190s.

Patented Apr. 6, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET -1.

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G. KRIEGER.

LIFE PRESERVER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN 18, 190B.

9 l 7, 3 1 5 Patented Apr. 6, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2,

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GUSTAVE KRIEGER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO KRIEGER SHOE COMPANY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

LIFE-PRESERVER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 6, 1909.

Application filed. January 18, 1908. Serial No. 411,424.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUsTAvE KRIEGER, of the city of New York, boroughof Brooklyn, county of Kings, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Life-Preservers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to a life preserver especially adapted to be constructed of cloth and cork or other buoyant material, though it may be adapted to inflated impervious bags and the like.

he important object of the invention is to so construct the device that it will be better adapted than other similar devices heretofore provided to set on the shoulders of the wearer as contradistinguished from encircling the waist thereof and to so arrange the parts that the life preserver will closely lit the shoulders, back and breast of the wearer, thus preventing all looseness or idle motion of the lite preserver without, however, interfering in any way with the free movement of the arms and trunk as in rowing, swimming, etc. I attain these ends by providing a canvas or other flexible body sheet on which are fastened preferably by canvas casings a number of tapering buoyant sections preferably of cork, the taper of the sections decreasing their width from the outer edge of the device inward so that it is adapted to lit closely and snugly around the neck and shoulders of the wearer. On the under side of the body sheet are arranged straps which pass under the arm pits of the wearer and hold the device down firmly in place.

My invention involves various other features of importance which will be fully set forth hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the claim.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, as an example, one embodiment of the principles of my invention, in which drawings,

Figure 1 is a view showing the invention in use; Fig. 2 is a bottom or inverted plan view particularly showing the straps; Fig. 3 is a top plan view; and Fig. 4 is a section on the line l4 of Fig. 3.

(1 indicates the body sheet which is preferably of canvas nearly circular in form, it

having a gap at at the front which enables it to be passed easily around the neck of the wearer very much like a collar.

1) indicates the cork or other buoyant blocks. These are tapering in form and are arranged radially on the body sheet. They are'held in place preferably by canvas casings c which are stitched down on the body sheet or by other suitable fastenings, a space, such as (i, being left between the blocks to allow for readily flexing the device, as in folding.

On the under side of the body sheet a, are arranged two straps c. These are fastened to the back of the device at one end and carried forward loosely through two guides f at the front portion at each side, the ends being free so that they may be readily tied. Rearward of the guides f, the straps c are adapted to pass under the arms of the wearer and the ends of the straps tied at the front.

The device so constructed is capable of fitting closely to the wearers body without the slightest loose movement. Preferably the buoyant blocks or sections 1) are so disposed that two will lie true on the shoulders of the wearer, the blocks at the rear extending downward snugly against the back and those at the front fitting snugly against the breast of the wearer. This is shown in Fig. 1. Such arrangement, acting in concert with the straps connected as shown insures the proper lit of the life preserver, without in any manner hindering the absolute freedom of movement of the wearer.

The life preserver applied will float the wearer with the shoulders just submerged and the neck and chin free of the water. Further it insures keeping the wearer upright in the water and avoids the danger of throwing the wearer head d0wna disadvantage common with the well known type of life preserver which encircles the waist.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A life preserver adapted to encircle the neck of the wearer and having a body sheet adapted to lie directly on the shoulders, back and breast of the wearer and having a gap at the front, straps attached to said body and adapted to pass under the arm pits of the wearer to hold the life preserver snugly in place, buoyant blocks of tapering forrn lying on top of the body sheet and fabric casings covering the blocks and having their lower edges secured to the con- In testin ony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

tinuous body sheet, said casings being spaced GUSTAVE KRIEGER. 5 from each other from the body sheet upward Witnesses: to permit free independent movement of the ISAAC B. OWENS,

buoyant blocks. 1 A. MILLER. 

